Smiling Ricciardo unnerves the champ

A RED flag may have sabotaged his chance to impress but it could not wipe the famous smile off Daniel Ricciardo’s face at Australian Grand Prix practice in Melbourne yesterday.

Four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton admitted he was wary of Ricciardo ahead of tomorrow’s Formula One season opener because the Red Bull was flashing his pearly whites too much for his liking at Albert Park.

And Australian star Ricciardo’s sunny demeanour didn’t change after yesterday’s practice despite a red flag halting what loomed as his fastest time of the day.

Ricciardo had to be satisfied with seventh fastest in the second 90-minute session behind Mercedes’ perennial pace setter Hamilton after his flying lap was stopped by the brief red flag that emerged when debris was found on the Albert Park straight.

“I was not too disappointed to see the red,” Ricciardo said.

“I don’t think the lap was that good, to be honest.

“We had quite a lot of understeer. It wasn’t going to jump to P1 (top spot) or anything like that, so we’ve still got a bit of work to do.

“We tried to do something big for the long run, and time was running out so we had to have a crack at something. “It was not a bad day. “(But) I think tomorrow will be wet, so I don’t know how relevant today will be.”

Five-time grand prix winner Ricciardo was sixth fastest in yesterday’s opening session.

Even the bleak weather forecast for this weekend could not discourage the ever smiling Ricciardo.

It reminded him of his 2014 Red Bull debut in Melbourne in which he nabbed a front row start.

Ricciardo went on to finish second on the podium that year but was later disqualified over a technical irregularity.

His official best placing in Melbourne is fourth in 2016.

“The last wet qualifying we had here I think was 2014,” Ricciardo said.

“That was not too bad, so hopefully we can try and do that again.”